VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C – BC will declare May 29th the Day of the Honey Bee.
According to The Ministry of Agriculture, the Day of the Honey Bee recognizes the importance honey bees play in human survival and daily life.
The Ministry said the day also highlights the partnership between the province and B.C. beekeepers to improve agricultural production, and monitor and maintain bee health.
Vice president of the BC Honey Producers Association, Kelly Clark, said the day also helps show the difference one person can make.
“The Day of the Honey Bee is both a useful exercise in increasing everyone’s appreciation of honey bees and their current plight, but also a great example of what one committed person can accomplish with a thoughtful response to a problem they think should be addressed,” said Clark.
“A young beekeeper from Saskatchewan started the Day of the Honey Bee campaign in 2009 to raise awareness about honey bees, and since then, a large number of local governments, provincial legislatures and the Canadian national government have adopted versions of the Day of the Honey Bee proclamation, and awareness has certainly increased.”
There are more than 2,300 beekeepers throughout B.C. operating as a hobby, part, or full time business with about 47,000 colonies, and as many as two billion bees.
Bees play a key role on B.C.’s fruit, berry, and canola farms, with approximately $250 million in agricultural production that depends on honey bee pollination every year.
Crop pollination by honey bees supports agricultural production in Canada worth over $1.5 billion per year, and $14 billion per year in the U.S.A.
B.C. also produces about $10 million worth of honey and other hive products a year.
Visit the BC Honey Producers Association: http://www.bcbeekeepers.com/
For more information about B.C.’s apiculture industry see: http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/apiculture/index.htm
Visit their website and then the Honey Bee Centre in Surrey: http://www.honeybeecentre.com/
